Michael Socha on preparing for the role

I worked on a farm for a week and learnt how to shear sheep, I did lots of walking around the area, I went to York castle to see where David was locked up, I learnt to clip coins, which I enjoyed doing, it was very satisfying. In This is England, I wasn’t in it half as much as I am in this and there’s also a bit more of a character attached to this role. I’m playing somebody who existed, so I’ve also got a back story that was half made for me. Whereas the character I played in This is England was, I suppose, a version of me, I think there are definitely elements of myself here, but in terms of back story, it’s already written.

Sophie McShera on her preparation for the role

In terms of preparation for the role, we had a really extensive audition rehearsal process, so I got to do loads of prep through that. I think we first met each other a year or so before we started filming. We did a lot of improvising and we spent time together figuring out our back stories, and everyone spent time bonding within their characters as families and as pairs. We all did walks together and walked the places our characters would have walked.